Pneumatic coupler for musical instruments.



BEST AVASLABLE COP.

PATBNTED JULY 4, 1905.

E. S. VOTBY. PNEUMATIC COUPLER FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

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E. S. VOTEY. PNEUMATIC COUPLER FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27. 1904.

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No. 793,697. PATENTED JULY 4, 190 5.

' B. S. VOTEY.

PNBUMATIQ COUPLER FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. APPLICATION FILED 2213.27.1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

EDWIN WIM BEST A AILABLE Patented July A, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN S. VOTEY, OF SUMMIT, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AEOLIAN COM- PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

PNEUMATIC COUPLER FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 793,697, dated July 4, 1905.

Application filed February 27, 1904. Serial No. 195,520.

To all whomrit may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN SMVOTEY, acitizen -of the United States, and a resident of Summit, New Jersey, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Pneumatic Couplers for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specilication accompanied by drawings.

This invention relates to mechanicallylo played musical instruments, and is particularly adapted to organs having a plurality of sets of manual-keys by means of which different sets of pipes in the organ as, for example, swell-organ, great organ, &c.may be r 5 played The-objects of this invention are to enable the different sets of pipes to be coupled as desired, whereby the organ may be played to obtain any and all effects obtained by means of the manual-keys.

Further objects of the invention will here inafter appear; and to these ends the invention consists of a pneumatic coupler for organs and other musical instruments, said coupler being designed to carry out the objects of the invention and embodying the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts having the general mode ofoperation, substantially as hereinafter fully described and claimed in this specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the coupler, partly in section, showingthe general ar- 3 5 rangement of the operative devices of the mechanism. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the apparatus in normal position. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation in reverse position. Fig. I is a longitudinal sectional elevation in grand position. Fig. 5 is a front elevation insection on the line a m of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a rear elevation in section on the line 3 y of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the coupler. Fig. 8 is adetail view showing a construction of the valve to prevent intercommunication.

- Referring to the drawings, A represents a tracker-board having two sets of perforations being adapted to control the swellorgan and 5 the perforations C being adapted to control the great organ of a suitable musical instrument.

1) represents a perforated music-sheet cooperating with the tracker-board in the usual manner.

E represents a portion of the frame of the organ, and F is another portion of the frame, in this instance said portions being connecte by suitable brackets G.

The piping H in this instance is adapted to control the great organ and is shown communicating through apertures in the frame F with the great pipes I and J, in turn communicating withapertures in. the frame E. The piping K is adapted to control the swell-organ and is shown communicating with apertures in the frame E. Suitable piping O and P leads from the trackerboard to the coupler, it being understood that in the portions of the piping represented by dotted lines Q any suitable devices may be placed for shortening the length of the pipingas, for instance, a pneumatic relay of any suitable constructionas well understood in the art. According to this invention the connections O for the swellorgan and the connections P for the great organ may be coupled, as desired, to the great pipes I and J and the swell-pipesK by asimple and convenient mode of operation, which may be carried out while the instrument is being played without interfering with the operation of the same. I

The coupling or reversing a. cross-coupling) device in this instance is rotary in form 3 5 and comprises a transversely-extending cylindrical-valve mechanism in the form of a cylindrical bar R, provided with suitable nipples S for the flexible piping O and nipples T for the flexible piping P. As shown in Fig. 1, the cylinder R is suitably supported upon the frame E by means of the bands U or by other suitable means, as desired. The cylinder or valve R is provided, as shown, with passages V. adapted to cooperate with the great pipes I and swell-pipes K, and it is also provided with the passages W, adapted to co- --B and C, the perforations B in this instance operate with all three sets of pipes I, J, and

I grooves Y and form a snug lit.

60 different combinations at will.

K. For convenience of construction and operation the frame E is hollowed to receive'a portion of the valve R. The valve and valveseat may be so constructed that communica- 5 tion between the different valve passage-ways or manually operating the valve or coupler R,

as shown in Fig. 1, a crank-arm a being connected to a stud 6 at one end of the valve, while an operating-rod c is connected to actuate said crank-arm a, whereby the coupler may be turned about its longitudinal axis to couple the pipes leading to the different organs in different combinations.

Figs. 1 and 2 show the normal position of the coupler, such that the perforations for the swell-organ control the swell-pipes O and K,

leading to said swell-organ, while the perforations for the great organ control the great pipes P, J, and H, leading to said great organ. In the position of the coupler shown in 0 Fig. 3 a reversal has taken place, so that the perforations for the swell-organ in reality control the great organ, because the swell-pipes O are coupled to the great pipes I and H, while the perforations for the great organ control the swell, because the great pipes P are coupled to the swell-pipes K. Fig. 4 shows the grand position, in which the great pipes P are coupled to both the greatand swellorgans. According to the construction described rapid and efiicient control of the sets of pipes of the organ is obtained with great simplicity of parts. All complicated mechanism is obviated, and effects may be readily obtained which have not heretofore been possible with 5 the constructions previously made.

It is to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to a movable valve or coupler and a stationary frame, for the invention in its broader aspects contemplates relatively movable members with connections controlled thereby for obtaining diflerent effects in the instrument. Either member of the coupler to which the pneumatic connections are led may be movable, in this instance the cylindrical member R being shown movable.

The pneumatic coupler comprises the connections embodied in the piping controlling the operation of the instrument and any suitable means for coupling said connections in It will be seen that the connections leading from the trackerboard and the connections leading from the coupler are relatively movable, while operative means are provided for controlling the combinations in which said connections may BEST AVAlLABLE COP:

be coupled. A few combinations have been illustrated by way of example; but it is to be understood that a great many different varie- I ties of effects can be obtained by changes in the arrangement of the connections as'desired without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Obviously some features of this invention may be used without others and the invention 2. A pneumatic coupler for musical apparatus comprising means for severally coupling two or more sets of operating pneumatic connections with two or more other sets of pneumatic connections in a given manner, and means for jointly coupling one of said firstnamed sets with'two of said last-named sets;

3. A pneumatic coupler for musical instruments, comprising relatively movable members each having passages therethrough, two different sets of pneumatic connections leading to the passages in one of said members, and a plurality ofsets of connections leading from the passages in the other member controlling the operation of the instrument, with means for coupling the connections leading to said members in reverse directions, for substantially the purposes set forth.

4. A pneumatic coupler for musical instruments, comprising a double tracker-board, relatively movable members having passages therethrough, two sets of connections leading from said tracker-board to the' passages in one of said members, connections leading from the passages in the other of said members and controlling the operation of the instrument, and means for operating one of said members to change said connections at will, thereby obtaining different effects, for substantially the purposes set forth.

5. A pneumatic coupler for musical instruments comprising relatively movable members and two sets of connections leading to one of the members and two sets of connections leading from the other of said members, and means comprising passages in said members for severally connecting the sets respectively or cross-connecting them in a reverse manner, at will, by the relative movement of the members.

6. A pneumatic coupler for musical instruments comprising relatively movable members, two sets of connections leading to one comprising passages in said members for sev of the members-two sets of connections lead- 1 the other of said parts having three sets of ing from the other of said members, and means erally connecting each of said first-named sets with each of said last-named sets or jointly connecting one of said sets in one of said members with both of said sets in the other member.

7. A pneumatic coupler for musical instruments comprising relatively movable members and two sets of connections leading to one of the members and two sets of connections leading from'the other of said members, and means comprising passages in said members for severally connecting the sets respectively or cross-connecting them in a reverse order'or jointly connecting one of said sets in one of said members with both of said sets in the other member.

8. A pneumatic coupler for musical instruments, comprising a tracker-board provided with a plurality of sets of perforations, a plurality of sets of sound-producing devices, a member having a plurality of sets of passages connected with said perforations in the tracker-board, a second member havinga plu:

rality of sets of passages connected to said sound-producing devices, one of said members having an arc-shaped surface, and the other member having a corresponding arcshaped recess, and means for rotating one of said members relatively to the other.

9. Ina pneumatic coupler, the combination of a rotary cylindrical valve and a fitted valveseat therefor, one of the said parts having two sets of passages and connections thereto, and

passages, a single set of connections for two of the last said sets of passages and another set of connections for the third set of passages, and means for rotating said valve to connect or cross-connect the respective sets of connections at will.

10. A pneumatic coupler for controlling tive motion to said valve and said seat for connecting the sets of passage-ways severally or coupling them together, for joint operation.

12. A pneumatic coupler for musical instruments comprising means for alternatively coupling two sets of pneumatic connections with two other sets of pneumatic connections in direct and reverse manner.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the-presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWIN S. VOTEY. \Vitnesses:

C. SCHWARDT, D. G. HEINS. 

